I Hear Dead People -- A Cemetery Walking Tour

I saw something about a history walking tour at Oak Hill Cemetery put on by the Neenah Historical Society. I like history, cemeteries, and walking -- this was right up my alley. I figured it was going to be like the Forest Home Cemetery Tour Stacy and I went on a few years back with re-enactors portraying prominent Neenah residents.

There were 4 residents being portrayed and they were spread out around the cemetery. Each re-enactor gave a speech about his or her life while alive in Neenah. It was like the stepped out of the grave to tell their stories.

The first one Danielle and I visited was Dr. Emma Jaeck. She was a teacher, world traveler, and poet from Neenah not to mention had a PhD which was an amazing feat for a women in the late 1800s, early 1900s. She also was a key person in keeping Kimberly Point Lighthouse and creating Kimberly Point Park to keep the land for public use when people wanted to build on it. Personally, I may not have ever met Dr. Jaeck but she provided a spot for us to watch the Neenah fireworks every Fourth of July. This s the only speech we heard in it's entirety.

Effie Waller Smith was an African American poet with ties to Neenah. Danielle and I only caught the end of her speech so we missed how she came to Neenah but she did help raise a child and make sure the girl got an education despite her half black roots.

Ernst Mahler was the one person I wanted to hear his entire story as it was the one name I recognized immediately. However, we again only got to hear part of his life story. Unlike, the others Ernst spoke from memory and did not rely on his script. He was truly amazing. I knew of the Mahler family but I learned so much more about them -- their horse farm, how he help start the Paper Chemistry Institute in Appleton, and all the people he rubbed elbows with.  I wish I was able to learn more about Mr. Mahler and his family as he was just as important as the Kimberlys, Clarks, and Bergstroms of Neenah.

Last but not least we stopped to hear the story of A.H.F and William Krueger of the Krueger hardware store. This was another very interesting story as we learned about William and his brother A.H.F. I learned much about the family, not just the business side but also the political side of the family.

Parking was an adventure because it's not like cemeteries have parking lots so you parked on the side of the road where ever you found a spot without running over a grave. The 90 minute window of time to hear all the stories was difficult to hear all the stories from beginning to end even if you had the whole time. I was it went just slightly longer or started earlier to give people more time.

It was a very informative evening. I would definitely make this an annual event. Even with the $5-$10 donation, it was well worth it. I learned so much about Neenah and got some exercise as well. I always like a good cemetery walk. Hopefully I can make it again next year.